


A Home by Any Other Name

by notebookpapers



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, First Kiss, Fluff, Found Family, Getting Together, If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, Maybe a Little Pining, My First Fanfic, Post-Canon, listen I am just a wlw who thinks the firefighter and his arsonist bf are Neat, obligatory AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:55:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27911101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notebookpapers/pseuds/notebookpapers
Summary: Lio, still holding his mug, is trying to decipher a way to return the hug without spilling its contents when Galo speaks up."She would have loved you, you know," he says, softly, into Lio's hair. "My mom."-In which Galo shares some memories, Lio listens, and November leaves a winter chill in the air.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos, implied Gueira/Meis (Promare)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 90





	A Home by Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes, you're drinking apple cider when an unseen force possesses you and makes you churn out a whole fanfic in one sitting.

Nights are just beginning to get cold, in the early November of Promepolis.

Galo's apartment has a heater, and it does a decent job of keeping the place warm. The microwave beeps, and Lio drops from his seat on the countertop to retrieve two mugs of hot apple cider, which quickly set to work filling the room with the smell of apples. He isn't really sure if he should be calling it cider. Really, it’s just glorified cold-pressed apple juice from the supermarket that he'd heated up, for effect.

He presses one of the warm mugs to his cheek as he strides towards the open door to their apartment's tiny balcony. The smell of cinnamon apples reminds him of a memory he can't quite place.

Ah, well. Real cider or not, it’s close enough.

Galo turns to meet him as he steps out, over the threshold, face lighting up as Lio hands over one of the warm mugs. Lio's heart skips a beat, and he almost chides himself for doing so. He offers Galo a small smile as he falls into place next to him. One smile, and it's enough to make him weak in the knees. He's really got it bad for this dumbass, doesn't he?

A comfortable silence settles over them as they lean, relaxed, against the balcony, each periodically sipping their drinks. A cold breeze makes its way down the street, giving the potted plants a slight rustle. Lio shifts, pressing his side up against Galo's. It might not have been freezing in Promepolis, but a winter chill was still a winter chill.

Galo giggles, and moves to wrap a sturdy arm around him. "I've missed this," he sighs, eyes cast down at the city below.

"Winter," Lio asks.

"Cider," Galo clarifies, holding out his mug to meet Lio's in a toast. He takes a sip before continuing, "my mom used to make it for us, every year, when I was a kid. My dad had a friend with this huge apple tree, and he'd always send us all the apples he couldn't eat."

He sets his mug down on the rail, freeing up his hand for gesturing. "My mom had this _huge_ juice pressing thing! It was noisy, too. She let me help. She would cut up the apples, and I would put 'em in the press, and if we had any left over, she'd make these baked cinnamon apples in the oven!"

"We should make them some time."

"I'll teach you! I still make 'em, with Lucia and Varys, sometimes. Last time, they turned it into an apple juggling contest."

After doing his best imitation of the movement, he picks his mug back up, warming his hand with it. As he talks, Lio watches his expression change from its usual brightness to a soft pool of nostalgia. "It took _forever_ , but it was _really_ good." He swirls his mug, watching the liquid spiral around inside. "It reminds me of her."

"Oh," Lio mutters, unsure of how he should react.

Like any of the burnish, Lio has dealt with his own share of grief. As a firefighter, Galo has his. They both have people they couldn't save, or days on the job where things go wrong. They both still have nightmares about the Parnassus. Neither of them have talked about it much, but Lio knows they've both lost their parents. It's one of the unfortunate things they have in common.

As if sensing his hesitancy, Galo's arm gives him a reassuring squeeze. "It's alright," he says, with a smile that’s somehow softer than it already was. He turns his face to meet Lio's. "It doesn't bother me to talk about them, you know."

"I know," Lio says, as he snuggles into the warmth of Galo's chest. "I just wish they could still be here." A vague memory of his mother waves at him from the back of his mind. He misses her.

Galo nods. "Me, too."

He sets his mug down, once again, in favor of wrapping both hands around Lio. He lets his head rest atop Lio's as the balcony returns to a comfortable silence.

Lio, still holding his mug, is trying to decipher a way to return the hug without spilling its contents when Galo speaks up.

"She would have loved you, you know," he says, softly, into Lio's hair. "My mom."

Lio isn't expecting the wave of emotions that washes over him. He's never met the woman - he never will - he doesn't need her approval! And yet-

"My dad would've loved you, too," Galo continues, "but especially my mom." He presses a kiss to the top of Lio's head, and even with the winter chill, Lio knows his ears have gone red. "I was always energetic, I guess, even as a kid. My mom used to joke about how I would have to find someone who could keep up." Lio feels Galo's arms tighten around him. "I finally have."

Lio can't help but pull back and look at him. When he does, he's met with the most vulnerable expression he's ever seen. Galo's smile is soft and genuine, and his eyes are looking at him like he's the most beautiful thing in the world and he feels like his heart is about to burst and-

Lio can't take it anymore. He slams his mug on the balcony wall, wraps his arms around Galo's neck, and kisses him.

Galo kisses back almost immediately, and it sends a shock through Lio's body that he couldn't put into words if he tried. Galo's hands move to grip his waist in a grip that's equally tender and firm - holding him in place, but loose enough that he could leave, if he wanted. It's a short kiss, but when he pulls away, Galo chases after him, and Lio's so overwhelmed with his love for this man that it hurts.

When he pulls back, Galo has the most dopey grin on his face, and Lio's sure his face looks equally ridiculous. His eyes are sparkling, and Lio thinks he could die happy, here and now. Galo makes a noise somewhere between a laugh and a giggle as he presses their foreheads together. Soon enough, Lio's giggling, too.

They stand there, giggling like a couple of teenagers together, before they finally calm down.

Galo leans down to kiss him again, and Lio meets him halfway. It feels so _right_ that Lio forgets to breathe, so he kisses until he has to come up for air. Galo's grin is still shining, but his eyes look almost dreamlike.

"Wow," he breathes, a hand coming up to cup Lio's jaw.

"Wow," Lio agrees, awestruck.

"We should have done this so much sooner," Galo chuckles, as his thumb runs soft circles into his jawline.

Lio buries his head into Galo's chest out of embarrassment. "Well, we were dancing around each other for way too long. _Someone_ had to make the first move."

Galo's hand is still on his jaw, and he uses it to tilt his head up. Galo's brow wears a slight furrow of concern. "I would have made a move sooner," he protests, "but then there was everything going on with the spaceship, and the cleanup, and getting people into hospitals, and finding people places to stay, and then Meis and Gueira were staying with us for a while, and I guess we were kind of acting like boyfriends anyways, but I wasn't sure if-"

Lio cuts him off with another kiss, just chaste enough to shut him up. "Hey, I'm not complaining," he smirks, "this is perfect." _You're perfect._

Galo takes his hand off his jaw, and he's almost expecting another kiss. Instead, Galo wraps him into another hug. Lio lets out a sound of surprise as Galo lifts him off the ground to spin him around in his arms. There's not a lot of room on their tiny balcony, but there's just enough for him to spin Lio without either of them bumping into a wall.

When he stops, Lio wraps his legs around his waist, and Galo shifts his arms to hold him up better. They lock eyes for a moment. Galo's eyes are still sparkling, and he’s still smiling like an idiot, and Lio can't help but kiss him, just because he can.

Galo’s right. It hadn't been the right time earlier. There was always too much going on, or something that needed doing. There were _still_ too many things that needed doing, but at least now it was an amount that they could cope with. The burnish district was being established successfully, his people were being cared for, and despite everything, Heris was keeping her word. She made sure Kray was arrested, and had gathered a few other scientists to help repurpose Kray’s equipment. 

Lio still couldn't bring himself to forgive her, but he could tell her guilt was genuine. She really was trying to make it up to them. On Lio’s end, he and his generals had made sure that all the burnish were issued IDs and substantial housing. Soon enough, the ex-burnish began finding jobs. Meis and Gueira found an apartment of their own. Lio had stayed with Galo out of convenience. He never would’ve guessed that a life with the guy he saved the world with might’ve been just what he needed, all along.

He hums into the kiss, leaving a peck on Galo's nose as he pulls away. Giddy off adrenaline, he dissolves into another fit of giggles as Galo stubbornly refuses to put him down in order to pick up their forgotten mugs. He somehow manages to do it, anyways, and Lio hangs on tight as he carries them all inside. 

-

Lio's already half-asleep by the time he hits the mattress. Galo slides in next to him only moments later. Lio lets himself be pulled into his boyfriend's arms. _Boyfriend_. God, that has no right to make his heart flutter as much as it does. After months of dancing around each other, it feels good to be able to say it. 

God, they really had been acting like boyfriends already, hadn't they? It's not like they can help it, Lio supposes. Fusing your souls together in a giant mech will do things to a person. He's not sure when they had started acting less like bros, and more like boyfriends, but it probably started the night Lio had decided Galo's warmth was better than any mini-heater. 

He turns in Galo's arms so that he's facing him, and places a kiss to his collarbone. Galo responds with a kiss to the crown of his head. As he nuzzles into Galo's chest, he wonders when he had let himself become so domesticated.

But then again, maybe it isn't so surprising. He's never really had the chance to _be_ so domestic before. Sure, the people of Mad Burnish were his community, and his generals might as well have been his family, but he's never had a place to call home before.

A strong hand comes up to run gently through his hair, and Lio lets himself fall asleep to the quiet thump of Galo's steady heartbeat.

Here, wrapped in the arms of his boyfriend, he feels safe. More than that, he feels loved, more loved than he thinks should be humanly possible.

The smell of apple cider still lingers in the air.

He's home.

**Author's Note:**

> This just in, my Promare brainrot is still going strong, and I don't think I will ever escape.
> 
> On another note, I’m still a fairly new writer, and this is my first time publicly sharing my work, so please let me know if you have any sort of feedback or constructive criticism! My tumblr user is @notebookpapers if you wanna interact!


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